Forerunner Ancestry
by AwesomeZombieSlayerGRL
Summary: A human is captured due to her being a supposed Reclaimer. Escaping with a group of Elites to an encampment in a Forerunner artifact adds to her growing curiosity about this mysterious and extinct race.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Sounds of a struggle taking place in the entrance to Detention Center D, Cell bock F, alerted six Sangheili of the newcomer. Neither of them were typically eager to greet the furry monstrosities that held them captive there, yet they were curious, and amused, to see who was causing the Jiralhanae such trouble. They soon got their answer. "Let go of me, you oversized apes!" It was a human female, decked out in lab gear. Her hair was in complete disarray. Her lanyard, with her I.D. attached to the end, was flying every which way as she struggled in her captor's grip.  
One Brute held onto her arms tightly and forced her to walk in front of him. Their chieftain held a holographic key in hand, its blue light reflecting off his scarred and furry face. The one Brute who was holding her finally got a grip on her and managed to pin the human's hands behind her back. Her mouth was set. The Sangheili could practically see the wheels turning round inside her head, trying to formulate an escape plan. The chieftain paused at a holding cell at the end of the hall. There were two Sangheili in a nearby cell who were, by the second Brute's standards, too close to their cell bars. He growled warningly and made a violent step towards them, slamming one foot on the ground in their direction. Both of the Sangheili met the Brute's furious gaze with mirrored cool, calm ones of their own.  
As the Human watched on, one of the Sangheili almost seemed to smile tauntingly at the Brute barring his teeth as if to say, "Growl all you want, you can't get me in here." The human laughed quietly at their exchange. The chieftain looked up abruptly startling the human and Brute behind him. "Amus," he growled deep in his throat. The Brute dubbed Amus immediately stopped growling and bowed his head in a submissive manner to his chieftain. Appearing satisfied that Amus was remotely under control, the chieftain gave a contented "harrumph" and turned around to focus on tapping the access codes to the human's holding cell.  
Once his back was turned though, Amus gave a low, menacing growl at the two Sangheili. "Once you are released, no amount of orders will keep me from ripping you limb from limb," he purred. "Well, I'm looking forward to it," one of the Sangheili replied in an aloof manner.  
"God, I'm surprised you're smart enough to form a complete sentence," the human said referring to the Brute. The Brute and both Sangheili looked at her. The Sangheili who had just spoken chuckled and his expression seemed to say, "You don't know what you're getting yourself into." Amus was about to file a retort when the chieftain spun around and gave his subordinate a death glare. Amus seemed to wither under the chieftain's gaze.  
"When I order you to stand down, I mean STAND DOWN!" the chieftain barked.  
"Yes, Chieftain," Amus mumbled. "Stratus, throw the human in here," the chieftain ordered. The Brute named Stratus bowed his head quickly and shoved the human past the chieftain and into the cell. She stumbled and quickly regained her balance. She locked eyes with the chieftain as he sealed her in. "Glare all you want, Human, you just be lucky that the Holy Ones ordered us not to..." He paused for a moment as if searching for a word that escaped him and suddenly grinned in a manner that was nowhere near the normal happy.  
"...Spoil you," he smirked.  
"Pity really," Stratus said. Amus, behind him, eyeing the Sangheili, nodded in agreement. "And you, Chieftain," the human spat out his title like poison, "should be grateful that I'm in here because-" The chieftain cut her off. "Because what, Human? You'll sneeze on me?" he taunted.  
"Because I know exactly which pressure points in your body that can instantly paralyze and kill you," the human replied coldly. The chieftain looked at her. "And I am NOT bluffing," she continued. The chieftain bent down in front of the bars so that he was eye level with her. "So, why didn't you attack me earlier?" he asked.  
"There wasn't much room to work with in here. All the available space was taken up by all your bulk," she replied dismissively. The chieftain's eyes widened and she knew she struck a nerve.  
The chieftain's expression changed from surprise to anger quickly but just as fast as they played across his face, the chieftain composed his emotions, not wanting to make a fool of himself by being provoked by a lowly human. He stood up and barked out an order. Amus and Stratus fell into step behind him as the chieftain led the way out. The doors slid open and locked behind the three Brutes.  
Now that they were gone, the human slunk to the ground in her cell. She pulled her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes. After breathing out a sigh, a voice made her open her eyes.  
"That was pretty impressive, Human."  
She opened her eyes and glanced out to the left side of her cell. The Sangheili who provoked Amus was watching her. He was average size with his legs pulled up towards his body to make room for the other Sangheili in there with him. His white and gray armor glimmered in the light and reflected the purple floors. From what she could make out, his greenish-gray catlike eyes matched his armor. The way he held himself even within the confines of the cell, the human could tell that his rank, whatever that may be, was high.  
She blew air out of her nose. "Hah," she scoffed.  
"Were you bluffing?" he asked.  
She just gave him a look and raised an eyebrow.  
"What do you think?"  
"Heh, obviously not."  
"Mmm hmmm."  
At that, the human crossed her legs and turned herself around so that she was facing the Elite. "How long have you guys been in here?" she asked. The other Sangheili inside the white armored one's cell exchanged a glance with him. "We've been in here too long, Human," the other replied. He had red armor that marked him as a Major.  
"And how long was that?"  
The two looked at each other. "About three weeks," the white armored one replied.  
"Enough for our commander to suddenly grow soft and start talking to a human," came a disgruntled voice.  
The Commander's head shot up and he fixed his gaze on the other speaker. "Norolamee!" he barked, "I have had enough! Are you that desperate to stoop down and call your commander a traitor? Does it look like I am consorting with the enemy?"  
There was a slight hesitation before 'Norolamee spoke. "Next time, 'Norolamee, choose your words carefully," the commander continued.  
"She is human, Commander," 'Norolamee replied.  
"Thank you for your excellent observation," the Commander replied, "But am I giving out valuable information to this human?"  
There was silence. 'Norolamee shook his head slightly. The Commander nodded once and exhaled.  
Minutes passed by until there was sound again. "So, for the past three weeks you haven't come up with a plan to escape?" the human asked, curious.  
"No," replied the Major. He seemed a little discomforted with talking with her as if he was expecting someone to... she searched for the right word... Punish him? It didn't seem right but it appeared that way. The left side of her mouth curled up into a smirk. "Well, then. Today's your lucky day, gentlemen," she announced. The Sangheili who could see her gave her doubtful looks.  
"What? Don't believe me?"  
"Oh, we believe you, Human," came 'Norolamee's voice dripping with sarcasm, "Please enlighten us with the plan you have thought up in mere minutes whereas we have NOT for the past three weeks."  
"Look, Buster, I have been in here for the past three months. I watched my squad get butchered by these... these..." Her voice escaped her. "These.. Brutes. I have been in here long enough to memorize the patrol routes and I'd say we have about a good twenty minutes before the next one passes by here. So, in case you have any bright ideas..." She trailed off, leaving the rest to hang in the air.  
"How do you wish to proceed?" asked their commander. The human looked over at him. His expression remained neutral but she thought she could detect a small amount of curiosity and amusement hidden within. "We'll proceed with this," she replied and removed from her pocket the chieftain's cell key. The Major let out a small laugh of disbelief. "And how did you manage to retrieve the chieftain's key?" the Major asked, smiling. "Well, during the initial struggle, I noticed that there were two blue keys. One on his belt and the other in his hand which he used to lock me in here. So, I put up a fuss to create a distraction in order to grab the key from his belt and slip it into my pocket. I just hope I grabbed the right one." The Commander turned his head a fraction to the side, asking a silent question. "They were identical, the one in his hand and the one on his belt," she explained.  
"So, without further ado..." The human crouch-walked over to her cell door, the key in hand. Just before her hand reached through her bars, she paused.  
"Are there any security cameras here?" she asked.  
"None that we have seen so far," the Major replied.  
"Okay." With that said and done, the human slid the key into the slot just above her. It beeped once and glowed a soft blue-green. The bars to her cell slid open. The bars disappeared into slots in the ground. She quickly walked out and stood up in the middle of the hallway. Now, she finally got a look at the Sangheilian commander.  
He was pretty big.  
Most Elites were.  
She glanced around her. There were about six Elites in the cells, two in each cell. She looked over to the door and jogged up over to it. Six curious faces followed her. "Ah, here we go," she muttered to herself. She found two buttons on the side of the door. She pressed one of them and a small panel opened up nearby. Apparently it was the controls to the security cameras that WERE in there. The human had just caught a lucky break for most of the cameras were on a shakedown run to test new security equipment. Yet, the Brutes had forgotten to turn these ones back on when they completed the shakedown.  
Making doubly sure that the cameras were still off, the human looked at her watch. They had about ten minutes till the next patrol came by and foiled their escape plan. She turned around to face the Sangheili. Her gaze was caught by the Commander's. "We have about ten minutes, and counting, till the next patrol comes by. I can't get out of here by myself and I highly doubt you all want to stay another night in this hell hole," she turned to face all the Elites. "So," she continued looking at the Commander, "do I have the word of you and your men that if I release you from your cells that you mean me no harm? If not, you can stay in here until the Brutes let you out, which I doubt and you'll regret not coming with me."  
The Commander met her gaze.  
"You drive a hard bargain, Human," he said smirking. She eyed him carefully. There was a slight intake of breath behind her. Turning her head just a fraction to the left, she could see the Elite who was named 'Norolamee, who was in gold armor, watching his commander with an incredulous look on his face. "You have my word, as well as the word of my men." The last word was forced out, as if warning 'Norolamee. The Commander bowed his head slightly. The human smiled a little and handed the Elite the key.  
That done, she hurried back over to the console. A click and swoosh alerted her and she turned around to see four, almost six, Sangheili standing behind her. Her back quivered at the sight with an uneasy feeling building up in her stomach as she turned back around. She wasn't too thrilled at having mankind's most lethal enemy at her back. The Major watched her, curiously. "What are you doing?" he asked. "Looping old footage in case the Brutes check this area at the Main Control console. Want to buy us enough time to escape," she explained.  
"Ah, I see," the Major replied. The human moved onto another part of the panel and tapped in a couple of commands. A small holographic map popped up. A small red dot was pulsing towards the middle of the map. There were three levels; they were on the second. A cylindrical shape, with a light blue dot moving up and down it, was in the middle of all three levels. At the top of the cylinder, there was a large box shaped building. "So, we're here," she muttered to herself pointing to the red dot. "I'm guessing," she said a little louder, "that the exit to this hellhole is at the top." She turned around to face her onlookers. The Commander stepped forward and leaned in to look at the map. "I believe you are right, Human," he said agreeing.  
"Please stop calling me 'Human'," she objected. The Commander turned his snakelike head towards her. Elites are such strange creatures, she thought for a moment but snapped herself out of it. "Call me Kate. Kate Davidson.," she continued. The Commander nodded once and stood up so that he somewhat towered over her. Her expression turned to one of slight anger, as if him towering over her was offending her.  
He smiled slightly and said, "My name's Varu 'Ptolemee, Spec. Ops. Commander." With that said, he began to introduce the other five Sangheili: Ven 'Norolamee (the Zealot), Ptal 'e Hanrumee (the Major), Fen 'Thromahee (the Minor), Yen 'a Centrumee (another Major), and Caru 'Ghosranee (the Ultra). When she was introduced to everyone, she glanced at her watch, about five minutes left. She pursed her lips and turned back around to the panel. After hacking in again, she found that each cell, after it was inspected and all inmates accounted for, was giving a certain code or number indicating that they were checked, so that when another patrol came down to the second level, they would have no need to inspect the cells for it was already done. Still looking at the control screen, Kate asked, "Ah, Hanrumee?" It felt strange to speak his name, namely it was strange to say any of them.  
The Major turned around. "Yes?" "Do you know how to work this type of network?" Kate moved to the side so that Ptal could take a closer look. "It's foreign to me," Kate continued. Ptal moved closer to the panel as Kate moved to the side. "You're lucky," he said without turning back to her," I do know this. What do you need me to do?"  
"Well, from what it seems, the detention centers run on a certain list of codes or numbers to indicate whether or not they were inspected. I can't find the codes to the second level. I wanted to enter in the codes that'll mark our cell block 'Inspected' or whatever it is that they call it."  
Ptal placed his long fingers on the holo keypad. "Just give me a moment," he replied. "I hope you work well under pressure," came Kate, "because the next patrol is coming in in about two and a half minutes." Ptal nodded his head and immediately set to work. When Kate looked at her watch again, they had about thirty seconds.  
"Done," came Ptal's voice. He looked up from the panel to Kate. "They'll pass by us in a moment." She nodded and Ptal turned around so that his gaze met the Commander's. "I'd recommend that we stay back away from the door in case the Brutes decide to come in here anyway."  
The Commander nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

The Commander ordered the other five Sangheili to stand up on the walls next to the door. Even though the slanted cell doors made it a little difficult to stand on, they managed. Kate crouched down next to Fen. The Commander stood in front of Kate.  
They waited.  
The door never opened. The Brutes never entered. Varu signaled his men to wait a moment longer to be sure that the patrol group had noticed that Cell Block D had already been "inspected". Nobody entered.  
Ven eased the door open slightly to peek his head out. With his head still sticking out from the door, he waved his hand forward. The door opened fully and they were out in a deserted hallway. Kate looked down the right side of the hallway. The Major swept his gaze down the left side and cursed quietly under his breath.  
"What is it?" Varu asked.  
"Company," the Major replied.  
About thirty meters away from them, with his back turned, was the chieftain who had locked up Kate.  
"Oh shit!" Kate breathed.  
"Quiet," Varu hissed. He turned back to his men.  
"Turn on your active camouflage," he ordered quietly. Within seconds, the six Elites faded from sight. Kate looked at the distorted area where they had been. "Wait!" she whispered quickly, "what about me?!" An Elite, possibly 'Norolamee, sighed. "Hide then, Human," he told her, "Just don't do anything stupid."  
She glared at 'Norolamee, or at least the area where she thought he was, and frantically looked around. There was nowhere to hide and she had just run out of time when her old friend turned around. His look was that of surprise.  
Oh, you have got to be kidding me! was her first thought when the Brute Chieftain looked her dead on in the face. She gave a "well, we meet again" smile and without thinking, she ran towards the Brute. He held his ground and swung at her with his Gravity Hammer, which was what she was anticipating. She dove under the hammer and tumbled to the ground.

When she got up, she was in the most opportune place to be. Meaning: she was right behind the chieftain.  
Then, she did something that the Sangheili, who were watching from afar, thought was "extremely stupid and definitely a human 'thing' to do", compliments from 'Norolamee: Kate jumped onto the chieftain's back and was basically getting a piggyback ride. The chieftain dropped his hammer and swung his arms up above him, just trying to reach the human who had not asked him if she could or could not have the piggyback ride.  
"Miss me, big fella?" Kate asked the Brute before finding a small gap where his helmet met the back of his neck. Kate lashed out with one hand as hard as she could.  
The chieftain froze. He began to sway slightly before toppling to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Kate jumped off his back just before he hit the floor. Sounds of soft pops sounded behind her. Kate turned and saw the Elites watching her. "And here I thought I said not to do anything stupid," came 'Norolamee. "Humans never listen," he muttered under his breath. He's starting to sound like my brother, Kate thought.  
"I just wanted to prove a point," she said dismissively.  
"I think you did," came Varu. Kate shrugged. "Now, you never told me why you guys were in here," the human spoke again, addressing Varu.  
Varu paused before answering, as if weighing different words against each other.  
The others looked at their commander. "Well, we could always just kill her if she becomes a liability," 'Norolamee suggested. At that, Kate shot him a dark look.  
"I really am getting tired of your sense of humor, Mr. Elite," Kate growled.  
"And I am getting tired of your reckless thinking, Human," 'Norolamee shot back.  
The other zealot looked like he was about to stop the two from gouging out each other's eyes when Varu spoke.  
"Obviously, we have cooked up a little truce between us, if only temporary," he started out. "A few weeks ago, we have had gotten a transmission from… a higher ranked official who told us that one of our councilors was taken prisoner during the attack on High Charity before he could escape along with the other councilors. There were life boats stationed nearby but he never made it. Somehow, he managed to send out on encrypted file containing the coordinates of where he was headed. My squad and I were assigned the task of bringing him back safely. We had reached the detention center within a couple of hours after being debriefed on our mission. After landing, I sent two of my men ahead to scout out the area. There were ten of us originally. The moment they reached the outer wall of the detention center, the Brutes rained hell upon them.  
"Two of the best scouts my team had, lost." At that, the commander shook his head before continuing. "We had to take cover quickly before the Brutes found us themselves. Luck was on side for we had stumbled upon an entrance to building. And it was the one that we needed to enter in order to find the councilor. Ptal had to hack into it before we could enter. 'Faruee and his brother, Ren, stayed behind to buy us a little time... Two more gone.  
"Ptal hacked into the security system once we got inside and pulled up a map of the center. He found a path that would lead us straight up the councilor's door but we were ambushed and taken prisoner ourselves before we could even head over there."  
He stopped and glanced down at the floor below. "Do you remember the path that led to this councilor?" Kate asked.  
"Yes," said Ptal, "We are actually right below him."  
"Okay, that's great," she responded.  
Varu glanced up at her.  
"We are not even sure he is still alive," 'Ghosranee commented.  
"There's only one way to find out," Varu replied. "There's a lift behind us that we could take down to the third floor," Ptal said.  
"Or, we could just hop down to the third floor," Kate suggested. 'Norolamee seemed to groan at this idea. "Or you guys can take the lift and I'll jump down to the third floor," she amended. The only reason why she did not want to take the lift was that it looked a little small from the outside and being in a tiny space with seven foot tall beings made one a teeny bit claustrophobic.  
The Elites walked over to the lift behind them while Kate walked cautiously over to the edge of the floor. She laid down onto her stomach and looked over the edge. No one was patrolling the corridor.  
Kate thanked her lucky stars that her new friends hadn't set off an alarm. We're bound to, though, once we try to free this councilor guy. He seems like a high valued target. Guess that's why the apes went to all this trouble to keep him from getting rescued, Kate thought as she swung her legs over the edge and lowered herself down till she was hanging by just her hands.  
With the third floor just below her feet and the abyss yawning nearby, Kate let out her breath slowly and swung herself over onto the floor. She landed safe and sound just as her compatriots exited the lift.  
"So, which door is he in?" she asked indicating to the number of cell doors that lined the third floor corridor. "Give me just a moment," Ptal murmured, looking over at a terminal on the wall behind him. The Elite pulled up the holographic console and plugged away at the keyboard that was popped out below his fingertips.  
Suddenly, a soft beeping sound came down the hallway. The others looked to the right and saw a green light pulsing down at the end of the hallway.  
"Hopefully I just didn't set off an alarm," came Ptal's voice at the console. "What?!" Kate asked, distress leaking into her voice.  
"Let's not find out," Varu replied and set off down the hall. Luckily for them, a weapons cache stood just outside the doorway. Though, even unarmed Elites were lethal, Kate shuddered at the thought that any of them could turn in a blink of an eye and kill her before she could register it.  
Now armed Elites on the other hand… well, Kate tried to not think of that outcome as they opened the councilor's detention door carefully-  
And were met with a Brute Shot grenade flying out through the small opening that they made. "Holy shit-crap!" Kate yelled out as the others ducked. "Looks like we have company," 'Norolamee commented, enthusiasm leaking into his voice. "Ven, Ptal, and Yen: engage your camouflage. 'Ghosranee, Fen, and I will keep the Brutes' attention focused on us," Varu ordered.  
The Elites nodded once, acknowledging their orders.  
"Kate?"  
The human looked up at the commander.  
"Yeah?"  
"Do you still have that key you used back in our cells?"  
She nodded.  
"Good. We may need it if this system runs on the same one as ours."  
Then, with what looked like a mental signal, since Kate did not spot a visible one, the three Elites activated their camouflage while the other three carefully opened the door. Another shot flew out and the commander, with Fen and 'Ghosranee right beside him, let loose a few distracting shots while the other three weaved in and out of the crossfire. Kate could only stand there, amazed at the teamwork and skill the aliens had. The exchange lasted no more than a few seconds before all went silent.  
"All clear," came Ptal's voice followed by three soft pops from inside the cell. The commander, Fen, and Caru stood up from their positions by the door and holstered their weapons, all except Caru who remained at the door to keep watch while the others entered the room. Kate walked warily over to the door but didn't enter, not wanting to see the extent of the carnage.  
'Norolamee would more than likely laugh if she lost her stomach over a 'little' blood. The human steeled herself for the interior and walked in. Surprisingly, there was little blood. Then, she noticed the Elites were gathered outside one of the cells. She could not see the councilor, but she could hear him.  
The first thing that she immediately liked about the councilor was his dry sense of humor about his predicament.  
"I thought you had all but forgotten about me, Varu." The councilor's voice was an octave lower than Varu's.  
"We got held up in traffic. The ride over here took a little longer than we expected," Varu replied, laughing a little.  
"Longer than expected? Were my coordinates that vague?" the councilor scoffed and there was a slight scrape of metal on metal as the councilor shook his head. They're so alike, Kate thought.  
Which led her to believe that Varu and the councilor were father and son. Her suspicions were confirmed when she finally got her first glimpse of the elder Elite. For the moment, she was mostly hidden behind Ptal, which was why the councilor hadn't noticed her in the first place. The Elite looked like an older version of Varu.  
They had the same gray-green eyes, same facial structure, even the same laugh. His complexion was a shade darker than his son's, which was mainly the only superficial difference Kate could make out.  
"I'm glad you found me though, even if the wait was a bit longer than expected," the councilor said. Kate could practically hear the slight smile in his voice. "Do you have a key?" he asked.  
"Yes," Varu replied. The commander turned around to face Kate who was absentmindedly playing with the little blue key she held in her hands. She jumped slightly when the Spec. Ops. commander addressed her. Varu nodded his head over to the cell door. Kate raised her eyebrows in a "really?" motion.  
She was used to the other Elites' reactions to her but was nervous about this one. Two scenarios ran through her head: 1. He could quite possibly go apeshit and try to kill her or 2. He would have a similar reaction to the one his son had OR 3. His reaction would be the same as 'Norolamee, which is to say he really would not give a shit if she were on "the team", just as long as she left as soon as they got the chance to be rid of her.  
Great, Kate thought as Ptal moved out of her way. She walked quickly over to the keypad and shoved the holo-key in as quickly as she could. A decoding panel showed up on a small screen that asked for a password to unlock the door. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," she muttered as she pulled up an encryption key to work on the pass code.  
She could feel the councilor's gaze boring holes into the side of her head as she worked on opening the door. After what seemed like an eternity, the bars slid open with a quiet click and the councilor stepped out. His dark gray armor shimmered in the light as he walked around, helmet in one hand.  
"So, you're the human Varu has befriended," he remarked. He towered over the five foot five human. She gave the councilor a sheepish smile. She couldn't find her tongue; he just looked so… Kate couldn't find the words to describe him. She could most definitely see the old warrior inside the older Elite and had no doubt that he was still there.  
And here I thought the commander was tall. I feel like a freaking midget next to all these giants. At least the Spartans have their armor and augmentations to make up for their height, she thought.  
The councilor was still waiting for an answer while she contemplated his height. She jumped out of her reverie and bit her lip.  
"Uh, yeah. That's me," she replied. God! That sounded so stupid! she thought and mentally kicked herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3  
After exchanging swift introductions, an alarm sounded inside the cell block. Ptal gave him an exasperated look. "It looks like you really did set off an alarm," 'Norolamee remarked. "I appreciate you pointing out the obvious, Ven," the Major replied and turned his attention to the Commander. "Let's move before more of them show up," he said.  
"Agreed," the Commander replied. With that said and done, the Sangheili and the human ran out the door to the hallway. Already groups of Brutes were scrambling down the hallways with others from the first second floors doing the same. "I take it you can't pull off that move again?" Ptal muttered to Kate and nodded in the direction of a couple of chieftains who were heading in the group's direction.  
"Uh, no," Kate replied and gulped when she saw "her" chieftain exit a lift. Upon seeing the puny human who had rendered him unconscious, Retus growled low in his throat and gave out an order to two of the Brutes who standing nearby. Retus could not move as well as he wanted to and he absolutely detested that feeling. But he wanted that human to be punished for what she did to him. Killing the other Sangheili would be an added bonus to his day.  
"Ah, shit," she muttered and began inching herself behind Ptal. "What do we do now?" asked 'Ghosranee, "We're surrounded."  
"The lift!" the councilor called out. The group turned and looked up. The gravity lift in the middle of the room was descending, a three Brutes and a chieftain just behind its doors. "How're we gonna get past them?" Kate asked. "I have an idea," the councilor replied, "Commander, have Ptal, Caru, Kate, and Yen positioned by that doorway over there." He gestured to one of the giant doors near the lift. Varu looked at the councilor.  
"What are you planning?" he asked.  
"Just a little surprise for our 'friends'," was all the councilor said. Then, he turned around and addressed the other Sangheili.  
"'Norolamee, you're with me. Fen, go with the Commander. We'll take the left side of the lift. You two take the right," he ordered. Without another word, the group split off… Just as Retus the chieftain charged.  
The human turned around in time to see the Brute raise up his hammer just as they were about to take off towards the lift. "Duck!" she screamed. The Brute swung. The hammer missed the top of Yen's head by mere centimeters as they dropped to the floor. The chieftain reared back up for another swing when suddenly his head detached from his body. Kate shrieked as the bloody mess of fur and scars rolled past her.  
She looked back up and saw the Commander place one hand on the headless body and push it aside. It landed with a thump and the ground next to him. "Holy shit," she breathed as he stepped around the corpse. "Let's go," the Commander said. The group split off as planned. As her group charged forward to distract the Brutes inside the lift, Kate stayed right behind Ptal as the other group moved in for the kill. The Brutes were overwhelmed within a matter of seconds and the mismatched group entered the lift. Then, there was a problem of getting to the correct floor.  
"Here, let me try," Kate spoke up. She made her way over to the controls. "I've been in this thing too many times to count," she muttered. She tapped the panel and a holographic keyboard came up with several different decals and symbols. Scrunching up her face, Kate tried to remember the pattern that the Brutes had used.  
That time, they had taken her to see one of the Prophets. The things looked like floating seafood. She tapped three of the symbols and hesitated on the fourth. Her eyes lingered on one that looked like a sun with rays coming out. She tapped it and the lift jolted. The doors sealed shut and it began to move up. "I just hope it'll take us to the right floor," she muttered to herself. The levels outside the elevator blurred past them as the lift picked up speed. The lone human began to feel intimidated by the enormous aliens that shared the lift with her.  
The lift jerked to a stop, causing its passengers to lose their balance. The doors opened up revealing a bloody mess. The stench of death reached Kate's nose and she covered it with her hand. Only then did she see what caused the rancid smell: at least twenty marines lay dead in the small hallway. Bodies were strewn about, including those of the Brutes and a few Grunts. Guns and bullet casings littered the ground. As she looked from each dead marine, Kate hoped that she wouldn't recognize any of the blood covered faces.  
"They never stood a chance," murmured the Councilor, "The Brutes must have gotten wind of them and laid out an ambush. Luckily, their side had taken heavy losses as well."  
"I'm… really hoping this wasn't a rescue party," Kate said quietly as they walked among the dead soldiers. The sound of static caused everyone to go on high alert. After seeing that no one was shooting at them, yet, Kate began to glance around the room to find where the noise was coming from.  
"—Ghost 101 do you copy, over," the voice repeated, "Ghost 101, this is HQ, please respond."  
Kate found the two-way radio nearby on a dead sergeant. She pried the device from the marine's dead hands, cleared her throat, and pressed the button.  
"Uh, HQ, Ghost 101 is down, over," she said.  
There was silence for a few seconds, then, "Ma'am, please identify yourself, over."  
"This is Kate Davidson, head of the staff unit who had disappeared three months ago. Verification code: Little Bigfoot, civilian number: 1347895534-KD. Project called Rainbow Ruins. Marine squad escort was commanded by Lieutenant Kevin Sommersen. Over."  
A few more seconds. "Copy that, Miss Kate," the man replied. Kate could tell that he had a southern drawl. "This is the Operator speaking. Would you care to say the pass code please, over?"  
This time Kate laughed outright while keying the button, "Copy that, Operator. The pass code is: Pass code," she said.  
"And it is received. Never fails. We currently have a scouting party near your location. They were looking out for Ghost 101. Getting word that that detention center is lit up like a damned Christmas tree. Chatter's going on about a group of escaped individuals in cell block D. Was that your doing, Miss Kate? Over."  
"Yessir, it was."  
"Copy that, would you like the Scout's channel?"  
"Oh, yes."  
"Say please. Over."  
She knew the drill. Saying "please" would indicate that there were hostiles nearby. So far, the Elites hadn't proven to be a threat, to her at least. Yet though.  
"Operator," she chuckled, "is now really the time for politeness?"  
That indicated that there were possible hostiles near. She could the Operator's laugh on the other side. "Eh, copy that. Try 287. Will be here if you need anything, Miss Kate. Operator over and out."  
"Thanks," Kate called out and quickly changed the two-way's channel. She tuned in in the middle of a conversation.  
"Man, all I'm saying is that why the hell are we out here?"  
"Because, Redder, the Operator lost contact with Ghost 101 and-"  
The second person's voice dropped off.  
"What's up, LT?" asked the first.  
"Op said that he just gotten contact from one member from that science team that disappeared off the grid a few months back."  
"Shit. Really? Isn't that the same group Ghost 101 went to look for?"  
"Yeah, Op said that the woman told him that Ghost 101's dead."  
"Well… crap."  
"He also said that the chick's name is Kate Davidson. Isn't that John's girlfriend's name?"  
"Uh, yeah, it is," Kate broke in. All the while the two marines had been chatting it up, Kate and her group had made their way outside. "Am I talking to Kate Davidson, civilian number 1347895534-KD?"  
"Yes. Now if you two are done talking, would you kindly tell me your unit name and ETA?"  
"This Squadron 16 of the HellBeavers unit," the marine chuckled at the name and continued. "Given the rate we're going at, ma'am, fifteen minutes. The sarge is gonna be real happy when he sees you."  
"That's good to hear, HellBeavers," Kate smiled then she paused, "Listen, HB, I've got a couple of friends back here that were in detention with me…"  
"Ma'am, please don't tell me you made nice with the locals."  
"Ehh…" There was small pause on the other end.  
"Well, hell," replied the marine. Kate bit her lip. This was probably not going to end well.  
"Would you like me to explain when you get here…?" she asked nervously.  
"Yes, very much so. Just ask your 'friends' to drop whatever weapons they have before we get there. I may not be allowed to shoot them 'cause of Lord Hood, but…"  
"Got it. Well, um, we won't be going anywhere any time soon…" Kate replied.  
"Roger that, we'll be there in a few. I might recommend staying inside 'cause it looks like there'll be more rain."  
"All the more reason to hurry."  
"It's not easy towing a guy who's bitching every five seconds." The marine must have still held onto the button for Kate and the others could hear the marine, who was dubbed Redder, complaining.  
"Alright," Kate said and with that, the connection went dead. She relayed the information to the Elites who were a little restless. A truce with the humans? they asked each other. It's unheard of. They'll betray us. Kate glared at the aliens. Sure she couldn't speak for the whole of humanity, but this fighting had to stop.

The group of misfits had to wait for about fifteen minutes when the Commander made out small lumps moving about on the hills. The marines were pushing it. The Sangheili had held off a few Brute patrols that came upon them. When the marines had come within a few yards of the detention center, Kate walked out into the drizzle. One of the marines approached her. "You Kate Davidson?" he asked. She nodded an affirmative. "Alright, we have a small holdout back there a ways." The marine hitched a thumb back over his shoulder.  
"Where are your friends?" he asked. Kate nodded her head back in the direction of the entrance to the detention center. The Commander came out from under the eave that was holding off the rain and came to stand right next to Kate. The marines behind their CO adjusted their grip on their weapons and subtly aimed their muzzles at the alien that stood in front of them. Their CO craned his neck to get a good look at the Commander. "So, I take it you heard about the little truce we're having?" he asked.  
"I did," the Sangheili replied.  
"Good, so we're all on the same page then."  
'Where's John?" Kate asked since she didn't see him in the group.  
"Holding fort. We found a tunnel. Looked like something from those Forerunners. Can't translate a damned word of it though. Don't know if one means 'cupboard' or 'interior defenses'," replied their sergeant, "I take it you were Lieutenant Sommersen's translator?"  
Kate nodded. "I have the most up-to-date translations on the Forerunner language," she answered and took out a small PDA. A few glyphs scrolled across the desktop.  
"Good. We'll probably be needing your expertise."  
"What about the Elites, sir?" asked one of the privates.  
The sergeant looked each Sangheili up and down. "They can come... as long as we all behave," he said after a long moment.  
The Spec. Ops. commander nodded once and signalled his group to fall in behind the humans as they made their way away from the detention center towards shelter.  
The rain began to pick up when they were about halfway towards the forerunner tunnel. Kate walked in the middle of the two groups. Like she didn't know which one she belonged to. The rain picked up again along the way.  
"We're almost there," called out a private. A soft glow eminated from a hill just a few hundred yards away. It shone blue and gold. A small fire was seen flickering inside as the marines, Kate, and the Sangheili made their way towards camp. They all picked up speed when the promise of a warm shelter beckoned them.  
When they entered the tunnel, Kate stopped at the entrance. The Sangheili were frozen right behind her. The sarge turned around. "What're you guys staring? They're just glyphs," he said  
"Not just glyphs," Kate said, "But stories. Information passed down through generations." She spoke as if in a dream. She pulled out her PDA and began tapping furiously at the screen. The Sangheili entered, still looking the walls. "This is an Archive," said the councilor.  
"Correct," Kate muttered focused on her screen. "Damn," she swore, "I can't translate all of this but what I can make out is that this place was a...a... library of sorts. Like an actual library filled with books and photos and history. God! I wish I found this place earlier!"  
"Well, when you're done decoding all this ancient history, would you mind finding the one glyph that means 'pantry'?" asked Sarge. Kate laughed.  
"Like I said, sir, this is a library. Meaning 'books only'. I doubt they stored food and supplies here..." Her voice trailed off as she turned her gaze towards a door at the back of the tunnel. Her eyes narrowed as she thought she caught faint traces of sound whispering just beyond her range of hearing. She took a step forward when someone called her name. It sounded far away as Kate took another step toward the door until a hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped, looked up at the marine's face and flung her arms around his neck. The man stumbled back slightly, caught off guard. "Yeesh, if you're gonna act like that, I should leave more often," he joked.  
Kate hit him in the shoulder. "God, you're such an ass, John," she said. They hugged for a few short seconds before letting go. They looked back at the others. Sangheili on the right. Marines on the left. Both eyeing the other. Kate pinched the bridge of her nose. "At least they're not attacking each other," John muttered.  
"Yet," Kate replied softly, "Let me try something." She walked away from John and approached the group at a neutral position.  
"Look-," she began but was cut off from the sargeant.  
"Doc, stay out of this." Kate stiffened.  
"Sir, aren't you tired of fighting?" she asked him. The sarge looked at her, confusion and suspicion crossed his face.  
"What're you getting at?" he asked.  
"Aren't you tired of fighting? We have been going at each other for nearly thirty years. We finally catch a small break where we can form some kind of truce between us yet nobody's biting."  
"Old habits die hard," the sarge growled.  
"I understand that, sir, but do you think just for one night we could get along decently? At least decently." The sarge looked at her. "You're not gonna let this go, are you?" he said as she crossed her arms.  
"No, sir, I am not." The sarge folded his arms across his chest and glanced over at the Elites.  
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered under his breath as all eyes were fixed on him. He looked up at the councilor who was leaning slightly against the wall. The Sangheili stood upright as the human turned his way. "What do you think about this? You good?" the sarge asked. The Sangheili turned to watch their councilor step forward to face the humans. He turned back once to meet the gazes of his men before answering.  
"We will cooperate," the councilor replied simply, "At least until we are able to leave this place. The rest will be left to our superiors," he added. With that said, each group began to move tensely around the tunnel, setting up camp. Ven didn't seem to be enjoying himself, having to work with humans. Neither was Corporal Keenan Wilder. The two seemed to be itching for a fight but didn't start anything... yet. That word hung in the air thick with an uneasy tension.  
After a few uneasy hours, camp was set up, cots were laid out, and the option of sleep came up. Each side quietly expressed their feelings of sleeping near possible hostiles. Lights out followed a few minutes later. Lanterns were turned off and the small fire the marines had started began to dim, casting an eerie light about the tunnel. Seeing that it was going to take some initiative, John stood, picked up his cot, and headed over to the Sangheili. He handed his cot to Varu who took it, surprised and a bit unsure on how to react. He awkwardly thanked the human and laid down on the cot. He hung off it by about two feet.  
A few of the marines eyed John. "Hinge-head lover," muttered Redder. John shot the private a look who shrugged. "Excuse me for trying to be polite," John snapped.  
"Oh, well then. Be polite to all those Covenant bastards who destroyed our planets and killed a few billion people. Please, let's just overlook all that and be polite to these murdering bastards," Redder countered.  
"Enough! Both of you!" growled Sarge. "Shut yer yaps and sleep. We're gonna need all the rest we can get 'cause the Pelicans are gonna be landing a couple miles south of here. We're gonna have to take the long way around to avoid those damned Brutes. You keep this snapping up any longer and they'll come a'knocking."  
"Yeah, Redder, can't this wait till morning?" called out Wilder. Redder shot the corporal a look. He didn't answer right away.  
"Answer the question, Redder," said the sarge.  
"Yes, sir... This can... wait till morning," Redder grumbled and turned his back to the others. The sarge turned to John. "You?" he asked.  
"Yes sir," John replied before settling back onto the ground. It was a bit tense until Wilder spoke up again.  
"Sir, I can take first watch," he said.  
"As shall I," Ven announced. Wilder looked at the Elite.  
"Heh, I feel safer already," John snorted.  
"Alright. Wake me up in four," Sarge said and promptly fell asleep as both Sangheili and marine made their way towards the mouth of the cave.  
It took both sides longer to go to sleep but eventually the sound of soft snoring resonated throughout the tunnel. Kate was curled up next to John when muted noise woke her up. It sounded like fabric against rock, rustling nearby. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sleep out, and sat up. Something like music played nearby at a low volume. She could just barely make out the exotic voices as she got up quietly from her cot.  
The doc began to walk over to the door at the end of the tunnel as if in a trance. Ven and Wilder were sound asleep near the entrance as Kate moved about the tunnel. She stumbled a little as she neared the door and placed her hand on a glyph a bit bigger than her hand. It warmed slightly as it scanned her handprint. She yelped a little as it sampled her tissue. That shocked her out of the trance.  
Kate withdrew her hand quickly, rubbing the center of her palm as she watched the door light up in a soft turquoise. A quiet female voice spoke up from nowhere. "Welcome back Starfire Burns Brightly in the Darkness. Your last visit here was a little more than one hundred thousand and two hundred years ago. Do you wish to enter the Library?"  
Kate froze. Did the door actually think she was a forerunner? This was unbelievable! "Um," she cleared her throat, "Yes, I do wish to enter the Library." The doc was near giddy with excitement.  
"Standby for decontamination. The parasite has been detected here a few weeks ago and we do not want to risk the infection spreading," the door replied.  
"Wait, decontamination?" Kate asked when a blue water-like substance oozed out from the glyphs in the door and edged towards her. The human was too shocked to move before the substance attached to her left foot and the tips of her right fingers. It didn't burn but stung a little. For a moment, she was completely fascinated by it before she realized that it was pulling her towards the door. She tugged back on the members that were submerged. The substance didn't give. Instead it began to hurry across what parts of her body it had.  
Kate panicked and called out for help, all the while pulling on her arm and leg as it pulled her towards the door. "Goddammit! Someone wake up and help me!" she screamed. She barely registered the muffled curses as she struggled to get herself out. Someone suddenly grabbed hold of her left arm and pulled hard. She looked over her shoulder and saw John pulling her back. Varu siddled up next to her and drew an energy dagger. He made to cut through the substance but the weapon slid right through it.  
Varu cursed harshly in his own language and moved towards the door, assessing any weak points available. A couple of marines got behind John and pulled on him while the councilor and Ven looked for anything that would turn that blasted thing off. Varu suddenly grabbed Kate's wrist none too gently but she did not complain; she had more pressing matters on hand. He took hold of where the substance met her skin and carefully inserted the dagger a few centimeters above her wrist. Kate froze and locked her arm as best she could to make Varu's job easier. The others kept pulling on her and John until Kate let a out a gasp. "It's coming off!" she yelped. The substance was slowly sliding off her skin and back into the wall. She yanked her leg back and it was released. All that was left was her wrist. Varu edged the dagger under the substance as best he could and angled the dagger up and away from the human.  
"Almost... there," he breathed. Suddenly it snapped off the human and into the door causing everyone to fall back onto the floor. The sarge stood up and offered a hand to Kate, who was rubbing a very sore arm. "Had to go poking your nose around, didn't you?" he said. The doc gave him an apologetic grimace knowing that if she tried to explain what drew her in would make her sound crazy. As a few grumbles and groans echoed in the back as the marines and Sangheili got to their feet, a hissing sound eminated from the door like a mechanism was being released. Varu, Kate, John, Sarge, and the rest all jumped back from it and reached for their guns.  
The noise quit after a few seconds and a tense silence passed over them. "What now?" Ven said through gritted teeth. A glyph popped up on the front and pulsed faintly. It was ring-shaped and was separated in the bottom half down the middle with a smaller circle in the middle. Kate stepped around John and Varu to get a good look at what she was seeing.  
"Ideas, Doc?" Sarge asked.  
"I... It's the symbol for Reclaimer... But I don't understand-" she was cut off when the door suddenly opened. Guns were aimed yet again as a bright greenish-blue entered the tunnel. "What in the hell is that?" asked Wilder. The light faded away and revealed a woman; her feet hovered about two inches from the floor she "stood" in. She hovered there, staring at the mixed group with a faint smile on her lips. Kate stared hard at the woman, groping for an answer.  
"She looks like an AI," Sarge commented tensely. A light lit up in Kate's mind.  
"She's an ancilla! They helped out the Forerunners with armor and invention, if I remember correctly," she exclaimed. The woman nodded once at Kate's answer.  
"You are correct," the ancilla replied in a soft voice, "My apologies on not recognizing who you were when you activated the door. I... have not been... properly maintained in awhile. As you can see with this room." She gestured behind her. Her soft glow flew over an ever so slightly dusty room that resembled a Hall of Records to Kate. There data disks, computers, and other information-holding devices. Kate itched to get in but the sarge nudged her once and shook his head.  
As if on cue, the councilor stepped forward and addressed the ancilla. "How do we know you are not luring us into a trap?" he asked firmly.  
"I was assigned long ago as keeper of this place. If you do not carry the contagion with you, then there is no reason for me to strike," the ancilla replied.  
"Contagion?" said John, "You mean the Flood?" The ancilla nodded gravely.  
"I detected its presence here a few weeks back, but could not find the source. If you wish to remain here, do so quietly, leave nothing disturbed, and take only what is vital," she explained. It sounded like she was talking in riddles. She then stepped back and gestured for the group to enter. Inside was a wealth of knowledge. The group cautiously entered and glanced around for anything that resembled a trap.  
"If you have any questions, please do not hesistate to ask," the ancilla announced before turning to a pedestal. Kate held back as the others walked in.  
"I never got your name, Miss...?" she said. The ancilla smiled.  
"I am the Record Keeper, but you may call me Noesis. Noe for short if you'd like," Noesis replied.  
"Knowledge Keeper," Kate murmured and the ancilla nodded again.  
"Thank you for allowing us in," the human said.  
"My pleasure, Reclaimer. It feels good to have others like you who share a passion for knowledge. Such passion has consequences though. Control it before it controls you." Noesis disappeared into the building. Kate stared at the wall a little shaken before turning her attention back to the datapads that contained the addictive information.  
The Sangheili and humans wandered around the small room looking at different books Forerunners from long ago wrote. Kate picked up one datapad and scrolled through it. It gave a detailed narration on the Forerunners and the worlds they colonized; over three million, the results were staggering. It also gave a grim account on how the Forerunners rose up the Precursors, beings who supposedly gave the Forerunners breath, among other creatures, and helped shape the universe. She scrolled down to a point where the pad showed her the Human-Forerunner war. Humans were battling the Flood, it said, but had somehow figured out how to defeat it. They were already battle weary and weakened from the parasite, after sacrificing many of themselves to stop it, when the Forerunners came.  
She was about to scroll down when a datapad near her lit up suddenly. She logged off the one she was currently on and picked it up. This one showed her the different types and forms the Flood came in. They were grotesque and frightening to look at but she knew they needed whatever information on this parasite they could get their hands on. One form caught her eye. It was ranked as a major threat to the Forerunner infrastrutcture, as if the rest of the Flood wasn't already dangerous enough. It was in an assassin class. The few pictures of it available were somewhat shakey but focused enough for the viewer to get a good look at it. One depicted it as wearing monk-like robes with cowl covering most of its face. What the tattered robe didn't cover looked as if it was afflicted with leprosy. It was a gruesome sight.  
Kate began to meander through the room with the datapad in hand as she read more about this dangerous creature. She did not notice she had reached the back of the room until she nearly bumped into the wall. She looked up quickly and spun around. She could barely hear her friends. God, I didn't how far back this record room extended to, she thought and glanced around the area she was in. This part did not look as well kept as its counterpart out in the light. A hazy dark green glow was cast over the area and over a few pod-like devices in the back. Kate cautiously approached them and brushed over the frozen liquid and dust that accumulated over the years.  
Underneath it all frightened her. Kate threw herself back and nearly fell to the floor. What she saw was a Forerunner cryo frozen in mid-struggle with an infection form that somehow jumped onto the unlucky Forerunner as it tried to freeze itself. Kate looked at the others who were even worse: all were in some stage of infection. Kate immediately put enough distance between her and the pods until she bumped into something. She turned around and nearly screamed. A figure stood in front of her, close to seven feet tall with tattered and rusting armo and something that resembled a hood covering its face. "Shame really," it said, mandibles moving at rapid speed, "They never got a chance to live." Then it lifted its hood. The sight of it made Kate nearly wretch.  
"Best get back to your friends if you wish to see the dawn," it said with as much a grin something with manibles could muster. Without thinking, Kate turned around and ran as fast as she could back to the others.  
They had to get out. Now.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4  
Kate ran as fast as she could back to the others. The councilor, Varu, and John looked up at her as she came in. "We've got to go now," she breathed. They looked at her confused but all she said, "Just trust me, ok? I'll explain later." Then the ancilla appeared; her image appeared distorted and faded. Everyone looked at the AI whose glow was now the only thing that lit up the room.  
"What's going on, Doc?" the sarge asked apprehensively as he and a few others looked about with guns already pulled out. Kate shook her head once and focused her attention on the ancilla. "It's here, isn't?" she asked Noesis. The ancilla did not have to say anything; her look gave the human her answer.  
"You must leave now," Noesis said to the group.  
"Yeah? To where?" Redder demanded, "Pelicans aren't gonna be here for another couple of hours and-" He was cut off when Kate smacked her hand over his mouth.  
"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" he spat as he tugged her hand away.  
"Saving your damned life," she countered and looked up at the group. "The Flood is here," she said.  
"We already knew that," Wilder replied. Kate gave him a look.  
"No, it's here. Right now. And we need to leave if we want to see the sun again." With that, she moved towards the exit, not looking back to see if any of them were following her.  
Sarge intercepted Kate's path, caught her arm and said, "Listen Doc, you gotta give these boys more information then relying on faith alone. They need to know what they're gonna face."  
"Whatever's out won't give us a chance to explain, sir. All you need to know is that this bastard is incredibly canny, changes form at will, and is very hard to kill."  
Then, haunting laughter sounded from the back of the room. The humans and Sangheili spun around every which way looking for the source, guns drawn; only Kate was staring straight back towards the end of the room.  
"You better run while you still can. I have never failed in catching my prey," it breathed. Something hopped up on a shelf sending several data disks scattering onto the floor. A marine shone a flashlight on the creature and instantly regretted it. Its form changed; it looked feline, about the size of a puma that died and was left out in the sun for several years. Its skin was patchy and white, bone could literally be seen right through the skin, the eyes glowed with a fierce red-orange gaze with the pupils down to slits, the skin around the muzzle of the animal was stretched tight while twisted into an unnatural grin that was more designed for a human face. The feline creature was a grotesque being that should not have seen the light of day.  
It threw its head up and cackled when the shelf it was on suddenly toppled, throwing the creature off balance and farther back into the room. The shelf fell down onto the area where the creature was and it let out a furious roar.  
"Move!" Noesis yelled at the stunned group, "Get outside now!"  
Her voice shocked the group back into existence and towards the entrance of the Archives and to the tunnel where they camped. As Kate was about to leave, Noesis stopped her.  
"Read the data pad you found. Never look in its eyes or you will cease to exist," she whispered before ushering the human out.  
Kate ran to catch up to her group. The door to the Archives shut behind them to be sealed for another several millenia.

They did not stop until they were well away from the cave. Supplies bounced on the backs of the marines; the Sangheili formed a small ring around the group of humans and constantly scanned the surrounding area for any sign of movement. While they walked the distance to where the pelicans were supposed to land, Kate scanned the data pad she took for any type of useful data. The creature was dangerous (that much they already knew), its eyes had hypnotic quality to them (much like the mythical basilisk; at that thought, Kate wished fervently for a mirror or any type of reflective surface), it was very hard to kill- constantly regenerating lost limbs from its previous targets-, it could change form at will, the creature could run very fast and kill quickly without warning- mainly, it loved to torture its prey, very much like a cat with a mouse- and it could also infect its prey just like its other parasitic brethren. The only name Kate could find that labeled the creature was Tohrik Mahl which was said to be the name of a human back 100,000 years ago who fought the Flood, was infected and never destroyed, so he lived on. Whoever wrote the article on this beast stated that the only way to stun the creature was to say its old name; it detested the label for some ungodly reason that it froze whenever one said it.  
Kate furrowed her eyebrows together as she stored away that part of information and tore her eyes from the datapad to look in front of her. John walked alongside her.  
"Find anything?" he asked. She relayed her findings to him and the rest of the group in a quiet voice for fear of being overheard.  
"It freezes when it hears its name being called? What the hell kind of logic is that?" stated Redder.  
"Maybe the dude's mom was a harsh lady that whenever he heard his name being called, he instantly thought it was coming from her," Wilder suggested, a nervous laugh entering his voice.  
"At least it's something we can use," Sarge called up from the front.  
Kate turned to the Sangheili who were discussing possible ways to destroy it.  
"Energy weapons seem to be the most effective against the parasites that we've fought in previous battles," said Ptal.  
"The only thing is, none of us has ever faced this thing before," Varu stated and checked the charge on his energy blade; it was at about fifty percent. The others followed suit.

They walked on in silence for another hour and a half when John stopped for a moment to survey the group. His stomach dropped as a cold dread filled him. "Shit," he breathed, "Where's Wilder and Kate?"  
Everyone stopped and looked around. "Wilder was right here a moment ago," Redder said, confusion coloring his voice.  
"So was Kate," John replied and pinched the bridge of his nose.  
"We split up into three groups," Caru suggested quietly, "Two distract the creature while the third searches for the two humans."  
The other Sangheili and a couple of the marines nodded but the sarge's face was indecisive. "It's a risky operation but we'd cover more ground if we split up. And it's the only thing we have to go on unless the rest of you have any ideas," Sarge said as looked at his men.  
"No? Alright. Here's what we're gonna do..."

Kate ran through the tall grass as fast as she could. The creature was right behind her, she just knew it. She didn't pause to give herself a break knowing that the moment she faltered, she was as good as dead. She heard the sudden chatter of machine gun fire and ran to the source, praying that Wilder was still alive.  
She reached a small clearing and stopped to look around. Her side felt like it was about to split and her legs were jelly as she walked carefully around. She found spent casings littering the floor and Wilder's helmet. She bent down and picked it up when she felt someone watching her. She spun around, helmet in hand as an improvised club. There stood Wilder covered in blood. The marine staggered, met her gaze once, and fell on his hands and knees. Kate approached him cautiously, not knowing what he might do.  
She heard him mutter something and bent her head closer to hear him when he suddenly launched up onto his knees and yelled, "Run!" His sudden outburst caused Kate jump back and fall onto the ground.  
"Kate, get out of here! Now, goddammit! NOW!" Wilder yelled at her again. He had a wild look in his eye and was gripping his knife and pistol like they were his lifelines. Kate finally saw his spent assault rifle sitting near the edge of the clearing.  
Wilder made a move towards Kate, as if threatening her to run. The doctor replied by shooting up onto her feet and taking off, away from the crazed and battered marine.

Varu, Ptal, John, and the councilor made their way cautiously through the tall grasses when they heard the loud retort of machine gun fire. Their heads swivelled in the direction of the gun fire. "That might be Sarge or Wilder," John said and began to move in the direction of the sound.  
Ptal placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "Or it may be that creature trying to lure us into a trap," the Sangheili suggested.  
John shrugged off the alien and glared at him but knew Ptal was right. They could not risk splitting into smaller groups.  
"Let's keep moving," Varu announced. They headed deeper into the brush.

Redder jumped when he heard Wilder's frantic shots. "Shit, man," he muttered as his gaze darted around, his mind creating monsters on epic proportions with the shadows.  
"Hold it together, Lieutenant," Sarge grumbled.  
"That creature could be anywhere. Keep your voices down," Ven snapped.  
Redder quaked in his boots but focused on the sarge. Sudden scream off to his right caused the frightened Lieutenant to jump out of his skin. All guns turned in the scream's direction. Wilder walked out of the brush, a limp hand clutching his gore covered combat knife. The marine lifted his head up and smiled wearily.  
"I was wondering when I'd find you guys," he said, exhaustion climbing into his voice. Sarge and Ven both aimed their guns at the marine while the other three marines lowered their weapons.  
"Sarge, what're you doing?" asked Redder.  
Without taking his eyes off Wilder, Sarge replied, "Remember that thing's Flood. It absorbs genetic material and it can change form. So, who's to say this isn't Wilder?"  
"What?! Wilder wouldn't let himself be taken by that Flood!"  
"Exactly. He'd die before he'd allow himself to be consumed." Redder's eyes widened as the Sarge tipped the muzzle of his gun so that it pointed to the side of Wilder's head. A bullet hole was barely visible in the side of his temple which was covered in so much gore that the marines couldn't tell whose blood was whose.  
Wilder's eyes never left Sarge's. He began to laugh low and dangerous. "You're clever, Human. I'll give you that much," it said, Wilder's voice contorting so that the parasite's ancient one creeped in.  
"You are very observant. I thought I covered that," it added.  
"You son of a bitch!" Redder swore. The parasite grinned smugly in Redder's direction. The Lieutenant raised up his gun so that it was level with his former friend's head. The other two Privates followed suite. Sarge raised a hand.  
"Easy boys," he said in a low voice.  
"Easy? You want us to take it easy?!" protested one, "I'll take it easy when this damn thing is dead and buried."  
"Son, I gave you an order. I'm not saying lower your weapons, just be smart about it," Sarge replied.  
With the parasite's attention on Redder and the others, it didn't see Sarge slowly reaching behind to his ammo pouch and bringing out a small flare. He handed it to the Sangheili who would have a better chance of succeeding. Ven would have to move fast if he wanted to damage the Flood.  
Ven popped the cap; it flared, catching the thing's attention. It raised one of its arms in an attempt to knock the alien back. It was a second too late to stop Ven from slamming the flare down into its head. Its arm smacked into both Ven and Sarge, throwing them back. The flare sparked and the parasite ignited. Everywhere its blood touched, fire traced an orange and red path until it was fully engulfed in flames. It howled in pain, running towards Private Rin. It took hold of the startled marine by the neck. The private pulled his trigger and the bullets punctured the creature's skin but had no effect on it. Sarge, Redder, Ven, and Private Herring fired at it as ran like a madman through the brush, carrying their comrade all the way. They could hear the poor man's screams echo painfully in the distance until they suddenly ceased.  
"Shit," Herring yelped.  
"Alright, we have to move now," Sarge said. The three humans and Elite took off in the opposite direction.


End file.
